Since she was shot in the head Jan. 8 at an event outside Tucson, the congresswoman has appeared in public only a few times. She has spoken only with friends, family and at small gatherings.

The paper says the memoir, "Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope," details the couple's marriage, Giffords' political career, Kelly's career as an astronaut, and their experiences stemming from the shooting, according to Scribner, the publisher.

The book is scheduled for release Nov. 15.

The couple is living in Houston where she continues therapy at TIRR Memorial Hermann hospital.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ANDREA MITCHELL reporting:Good morning,
Ann.
Well, if
Washington
ever needed an inspirational survival story it was certainly now.
Gabby Giffords
' return was a badly needed emotional tonic. Incredibly she was walking and she was conversational, clearly remembering names and faces. It was a moment of personal triumph so transforming, so exhilarating, for a time it even swept away the bickering and
ill will
. As
Gabby Giffords
made her surprise entrance on to the
House
floor to cast her vote, fellow
Democrats
and Republican rivals alike leapt to their feet in a spontaneous standing ovation. It lasted a full 10 minutes. The first public notice came in a tweet from
Giffords
' office. "
Gabrielle
has returned to
Washington
to support a bipartisan bill to prevent economic crisis." Civil rights veteran Congressman
John Lewis
wept. Another colleague took
Giffords
' face and said, '
It's you
, it's you.'
Giffords
told friends the vote was so important she wanted to be there to help.

Representative DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (Democrat, Florida):We walked into the chamber together. And just, you know, the room exploded. I mean, it was just, like I said, it was electrifying. Members were crying. This has been such a tough few days, and to see her triumphantly walk back into the chamber, as her friend, as a girlfriend, it was just one of the most amazing moments.

MITCHELL:Giffords
tweeted, "
The Capitol
looks beautiful and I am honored to be at work tonight." Later she explained, "I had to be here for this vote. I could not take the chance that my absence could crash our economy." The miracle of
Giffords
' return is that it comes barely seven months after she was shot through the head, gunned down at a constituent event in
Tucson
.

Unidentified Woman:She is in critical condition, she is...

MITCHELL:We marveled at her progress every step of the way. Emergency surgery, then tiny signs of recovery. A squeeze of her husband's hand. The movement of an arm. A smile. She moved to
Houston
to continue her rehabilitation. By February a major breakthrough, she began to speak, asked for toast. By April, she was able to fly to
Florida
to watch the launch of the space
shuttle Endeavour
commanded by her husband
Mark Kelly
.

Commander MARK KELLY:She's doing really well.

MITCHELL:By June, her office released the first pictures. Her hair cropped close and darker but flashes of her signature smile, all the while working step by painful step toward the day when she could finally stand on the
House
floor and cast a critical vote.

Representative NANCY PELOSI (Democrat, California):Throughout
America
, there isn't a name that stirs more love, more admiration, more respect, more wishing for our daughters to be like her than the name of Congresswoman
Gabby Giffords
. Thank you,
Gabby
, for joining us.

MITCHELL:Aided by her husband, surrounded by friends, the congresswoman departed as quietly as she had arrived, leaving her colleagues who had been bruised by months by political battles, sharing welcome tears of joy.

Rep. SCHULTZ:There's so many doubters and skeptics, but never doubt
Gabby Giffords
' determination. She -- this is the first of many votes that she's going to cast.

MITCHELL:Nothing could have done more to heal
Congress
' wounded spirits than seeing
Gabby Giffords
back on the job, even for one vote. And today
Mark Kelly
and his fellow astronauts will be at the
White House
to be thanked and

honored by the president. Ann:All right,
Andrea Mitchell
.

CURRY:It was really a moment.

MITCHELL:It really was,
Andrea
.
Thank you so much
for that report. Well, we're now joined by
Giffords
' close friend Congresswoman
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
. Good morning to you, Congresswoman.

CURRY:Good morning,
Ann.

Rep. SCHULTZ:So this has got to be one of the most triumphant returns ever in
Congress
.
A House
divided, united in tears with so much emotion. But what were Congresswoman
Giffords
' emotions? How much did this warm welcome mean to her?

CURRY:You know, she was absolutely overwhelmed. When she came in the chamber she was excited, she was greeting people all the way up the stairs. What was so incredible, and this just shows you how much progress that she's made, it's one thing for her to recognize, you know, good friends' faces and colleagues, but as she walked up the stairs, she saw
Bill Livingood
, our
House sergeant at arms
, and immediately said, "
Livingood
" and gave him a big hug. And it was just -- it was just another example of how much fight and determination she has. She felt it was absolutely crucial for her
voice
and her -- the
voice
of her constituents to be present in that room, either if she needed to be the pivotal vote to make sure that the country didn't default
for the first time
in history and then she ultimately decided that it was important on the -- on really the most -- probably the most important bill that we will consider this whole
Congress
, that the constituents in the 8th district of
Arizona
, you know, had their representative there to cast her vote.

Rep. SCHULTZ:That said, as a measure of what she had to overcome to be there, what were her worries? I know you started talking about this on Sunday. What were her worries about -- when she was trying to make the decision about whether or not to go?

CURRY:Well, actually she didn't really -- she didn't have too many worries. Her -- as she watched the debate unfold, as she followed the discussion, she came to the realization that it was, you know, absolutely critical that her absence not be the reason that the nation could default. She thought it was important for her to be there, to cast that vote. It was -- in terms of worry, I didn't detect any worry in talking to
Mark
and to
Gabby
. They felt,
Gabby
especially, that her district needed that
voice
in that room. Now she's, you know, going to go back and continue her recovery. She's got a
long way to go
, but this was a triumphant return,
Ann.
I mean, just listening to the whole thing all over again was -- I teared up again. It's just -- it's so -- it was such a moment that the
Congress
needed, that the country needed. We -- everyone's been praying for this moment. And for it to happen at a time when we have had, you know, bitter partisanship and very grizzled, hardened hearts,
Gabby
melted those -- that hardened heart last night and, you know, hopefully it's an opening and an opportunity for us in the second half of this effort as the commission begins to meet for us to really come together and put forward a balanced plan that makes sure we can get our economy really on the way again to turning around and recovering.

Rep. SCHULTZ:All right, Congresswoman, I want you to stand by because I want to quickly bring in
NBC
's chief medical editor Dr.
Nancy Snyderman
.

CURRY:Sure.

Rep. SCHULTZ:It appears, based on what we're understanding...

CURRY:Mm-hmm.

Dr. NANCY SNYDERMAN reporting:...how much she recognized, how great she looked that we're witnessing something of a medical miracle.

CURRY:Well, it was -- it was a wonderful outcome of an amazing woman who really epitomizes everything that can go right in a horrific accident. Phenomenal emergency response in
Arizona
. Great neurosurgical team, great trauma center, level one care. Phenomenally strong young patient. A rich family support system. And the bullet trajectory meant that we knew early on she wasn't paralyzed, but it did go to the frontal lobe which is the executive thinking part of the brain and it exited sort of the language part. So I'm thrilled that she made this entrance yesterday and I think Congresswoman really put it out that now she still has to really work on the language and speech and executive functions. But it was a phenomenal moment. And a real -- a
real story
of what can go right in the US medical system.

SNYDERMAN:All right,
Nancy Snyderman
,
thank you so much
for that important perspective.

CURRY:You bet.

SNYDERMAN:And Congresswoman
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
, may you be right that this glow will last in
Congress
for some time to come.